Hat



Patented Aug. 14, 1928. V

UNITED STATES OCTAVE BROTELLE, OF BRUSSELS, BELGIUM.

HAT.

No Drawing. Application filed July 8, 1926, Serial No. 121,276, and in Belgium July 13, 1925.

This invention relates to the hat-manufacturing industry and has more especially for its object a new and improved method for protecting hats, their trimmings and fittings against stains caused by perspiration, said method being simple, economical and eflicient.

The head perspiration has a nocive in fluence upon the good keeping of hats and hat ribbons; since perspiration enters the inside leather, passes through it and soaks first the hat material, namely the felt, and then the outer ribbon upon which it forms stains, which are very hard to remove.

As a result, a hat may be in a very good condition and good looking, except for some parts of its brim and the lower parts of the ribbon. Such stains often compel one to abandon the but partly damaged hat.

Renewal of the ribbon is but a :t'allacious repair or improvement and does not perinanently obviate the disadvantage, because the new ribbon is soon spoiled by the substance with which the hat material has been soaked by the perspiration.

Preventive means have been proposed, namely the arrangement between the leather and the hat material, of a cork strip or of a double layer of fabric one of which is corrugated or fluted; such means however are but palliatives and of small efficiency, it any.

This present invention provides a really effective means based upon chemical reactions unto which the perspiration is subjected.

Perspiration consists of a kind of emulsion containing chiefly water, greases and fatty organic acids, and spreads out by capillarity in such parts of the hat which contact with the head and which by their porous or spongy nature, are more or less absorbent. This emulsion propagates like an oil stain and soaks by degree the surrounding parts.

The water contained in the emulsion evaporates but the greasy substances remain and are in part converted into resin.

In accordance wt-h this invention, the inventor subjects said emulsion to reaction withsuch chemical substances as will neutralize the acids and convert the greases into soaps.

The perspiration can no longer pass through the pore-s of the hat material or its trimming, since the pores are for the larger part occluded or filled by the reagent.

Moreover the fatty acids and greases are converted respectively into salts and soaps which can be easily removed by a gentle washing of the hat inside, without injuring same, the reactive soaking being renewed when deemed necessary.

As a suitable reagent or soaking substance, use can be made of any substance capable of saponifying the greases and neutralizing the acids, namely sodium carbonate mixed or not with caustic alkali. The sodium earbonate being very soluble in water, allows making a highly concentratedsolution with which the exposed parts of the hat can be soaked. The water evaporates, leaving the nonvolatile alkaline salt.

The soaking can be made in one or several operations as desired. i

A simpler means consists in arranging strips of porous material, such as blotting paper, felt, asbestos or the like, impregnated with alkaline salts, between the leather sweat band and the hat body.

In the appended drawing, which shows a part of a hat in cross section provided with my improvement, I have indicated the position of the strip. 7

Referring to the single figure, 1 indicates a hat body composed as usual of felt, having an ornamental ribbon or band 2- and an interiorly disposed sweat band 3. Between the sweat band 3 and the hat body 1, there is disposed an impregnated strip 4. Such strips can be fastened to the hat body, thus form- .ing a kind of lining, or the strips can be merely inserted between the sweat band and the hat body.

Practical tests have been made and have given the best of results.

I claim:

1. A hat having a part thereof, adjacent thehead of the wearer. impregnated with a soluble alkaline saponit'ying agent to render stain-forming ingredients of perspiration in-' active after contact with said impregnated part.

2. A hat having a part thereof, adjacent the head of the wearer, impregnated with sodium carbonate to render the stain-forming ingredients of perspiration inactive afterv contact with said impregnated part.

v 3. In a hat having a sweat band, a strip of absorbent material interposed between the sweat band and the body of the hat, said material being impregnated with a soluble alkaline saponifying agent to render stainforming ingredients of perspiration inactive after contact with said material.

4. In a hat having a sweat band, a strip of absorbent material interposed between the sweat band and the body of the hat, said nm- 10 In testimony whereof I have signed my 15 name to this specification.

OCTAVE BROTELLE.

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Aug. 14, 1928. 1,680,852

0. BROTELLE HAT Filed July a, 1926 INVENTOR.

m r ATTURNEYS.

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M. J. Moore, 

